Modules - Overview

A foundational class that reframes garbage as a systems problem and introduces Five Truths of Waste Literacy.

Seeing Waste Differently introduces students to waste as a system, not a moral issue. Instead of focusing on perfect recycling behavior, this class builds waste literacy — the ability to understand where materials go, why systems behave the way they do, and how individuals can act with confidence inside imperfect systems.

Students learn that materials do not disappear, that “garbage” is not a physical reality, and that many environmental harms are the result of design and infrastructure decisions rather than personal failure. The class emphasizes curiosity, systems thinking, and progress over perfection.

This class explains how recycling actually works — not as a magic solution, but as a marketplace that depends on systems, buyers, infrastructure, and global trade.

Students learn that recycling only functions when materials are clean, compatible, and wanted by buyers. When those conditions fail, materials do not get recycled — regardless of good intentions. The lesson reframes recycling as one tool among many, and emphasizes why reduction, reuse, and system design matter more than perfection at the bin.

This class explains what landfills actually are — not places where waste disappears, but long-term containment systems designed to delay harm. Students learn how landfills function, why they are necessary, where they fail, and how their impacts extend far beyond their physical boundaries.

Rather than framing landfills as “evil,” the lesson presents them as overwhelmed systems struggling to contain volumes and materials they were never designed to handle. Students explore environmental, human, and socioeconomic impacts, and learn why understanding landfills is essential to making realistic, empowered choices about waste.

This class explores how waste became normalized through historical shifts, system design, and human psychology. Rather than framing waste as a personal failure, students learn how instincts that once protected humans — such as cleanliness, efficiency, belonging, and safety — are now leveraged by modern systems to encourage disposability and overconsumption.

Students examine how shame, perfectionism, identity, and marketing influence what we keep, discard, and replace. The lesson emphasizes awareness and “mindful interruption” as tools for reducing harm without guilt.

These modules are designed as conversation starters—standalone deep dives into urgent waste issues. Each one works on its own or alongside the main program.

Circular Economy 

• Analyze linear vs. circular systems and explain how design choices can prevent waste.

Creature of the Dump

• Analyze how landfills displace wildlife, spread toxins through ecosystems, and endanger species, while identifying actions to reduce waste and protect biodiversity.

E-Waste

• Identify toxic components and rare metals in e-waste and evaluate responsible disposal and recycling options.

Fast Fashion

• Evaluate the connections between clothing production, pollution, labor conditions, and consumer choices.

Food Waste

• Analyze the climate impacts of food waste and apply personal solutions for reduction.

Steak to Satchel

• Examine the links between food and fashion supply chains and explore sustainable alternatives.

Grocery Shopping

• Apply sustainable decision-making to everyday food choices.

Policy & Advocacy

• Explain systemic solutions to waste challenges and demonstrate ways to get involved in advocacy.

Waste Justice & Environmental Racism

• Analyze and explain inequities in waste burdens through the lens of environmental justice.